Kevin Costner catches French high speed rail in new TGV ad

May 18, 2017

This new viral video for the French High Speed Train Service TGV pokes fun at long movies (now that travel between Paris and Bordeaux takes just 2 hours), with Kevin Costner on board.

The ad follows the firm’s Client Relationship Manager mission to Hollywood to convince Kevin Costner and the film industry to stop making movies longer than 2 hours (to fit into the faster travel time).

Starting July 2nd, you will be able to travel from Paris to Bordeaux in only 2h04 rather than 3h15. A technological unprecedented achievement but also an inconvenience for travelers: how will they be able to finish their movies before the end of their trip?

Directed by the talented Kim Chapiron, the film presents Valérie Ducombe (interpreted by Camille Lou), ready to conquer Hollywood to try and persuade the international cinema’s elite to shorten their movies. It’s Kevin Costner, Oscar® winning actor and director, widely known for his very long films (Dance with Wolfs, Bodyguard, JFK, Robin Hood…), who will have to make do with this unusual request.

Apart from this film, the campaign also includes a trailer broadcasted on digital channels from May 11th. Simultaneously, a 174m2 billboard has been displayed next to Gaumont Cinemas Headquarters, and in cinemas, a special disclaimer has been added before the “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2” movie (which last 2h18) warning spectators that the movie they’re about to see can’t be watched in a TGV between Paris and Bordeaux.

A press campaign will finally complete this activation, with an open letter to Pedro Almodóvar, the 2017 Cannes Film Festival President, asking for his help to lobby Hollywood about this major concern.